Signal-lantern.



No. 795,096. PATENTED JULY 18, 1905. R. BLACK.

SIGNAL LANTERN.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.22, 1904.

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R. BLACK. SIGNAL LANTERN.

APPLICATION nun 13110.22, 1904.

2 SHEETS-$3231 2.

UNITED STATES Patented July 18, 1905 PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT BLACK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE DRESSEL RAIL- WAY LAMP WORKS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SIGNAL-LANTERN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 795,096, dated. July 18, 1905. Application filed December 22, 1904. Serial No. 237,883.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT BLACK, a citizen of the United States, residing at the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Signal-Lanterns, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the construction and operation of the colorglasses of a signal-lantern with the object of readily shifting the glasses to change the color, the shifting being effected externally of the lantern and without removing the lantern from its position of use. I provide one or more casings built on the side of the lanternbody adjacent to the lens glass or glasses and a A short open'to the interior of the lantern. shaft extends across each casing, and to said shaft are pivoted two frame-arms adapted to receive red and green color-glasses or glasses of other colors that are employed for signaling. These arms have curved ends seating in curved parts of retaining-springs, and to said arms are connected depending rods extending at their lower free ends outside of the casing to be grasped by hand to actuate either framearm to alter the color of the light. The springs retain the frame-arms in either an operative or inoperative position. In position there is only one frame-arm and color-glass at a time within the lantern between the lens and the light. The other frame-arm, carrying a color-glass of a different color, is raised out of the way, so that when the latter is brought down into position the former is elevated.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a signal-lantern constructed according to my improvement, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan taken directly above the lenses, showing, however, both colorglass frames in the lower position for clear- Fig. 4: is a section of the lantern-case and an elevation from within the lantern of the color-glass frames. Fig. 5 is a detached elevation of a casing built onto the lantern. Fig. 6 is an elevation of one of the retainingsprings. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the lantern-casing and elevation, showing a modificatlon of my invention; and Fig. 8 is an elevation of thecasing built upon the lanternbody, containing the modification shown in Fig. 2. r

a represents the body of the lantern; a, the top of the same; a bracket for fastening the lantern in place, especially on the rear end of the last car of a train, and 2 is a bail for. carrying the lantern about by hand.

I) Z) are the lens-glasses, and b the frames for the same, and a the door of the lantern.

0 and 0 are casings built on the side of the lantern-body adjacent to the lens-glasses Z) I)" and which are open to the interior of the lantern, as will be seen by reference to Figs. 3 and 4. These casings are of sheet metal, corresponding to the body of the lantern, and while they may be secured in position in any desired manner I prefer to form them with overlying flanges which are riveted in place, and I form the one that comes next to the door of the lantern with an inturned flange coming between the body of the lantern and the slideway of the door. Extending across these casings are shafts d d. The framearms 6 f, where there are two casings em ployed on a lantern, are associated in pairs, there being two frame-arms for each casing and each lens, the one with a red and the other with a green glass for the signaling purposes of the lantern, the glasses one at a time coming between the light and the lens within the lantern-body. The particular form of these frame-arms and the removability therefrom of the color-glasses form the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent of like date herewith. The major portion of these frame-arms is of sheet metal, having an aperture and a rim which is bent at right angles to the main plane of the arm and plates 6 f, that may be of cast metal, provided with hubs 0 f the sheet-metal portions being connected by rivets to the plates and the plates provided with curved ends 3 4:. These curved ends-3 4 may be of irregular form rather than curved for the performance of the function hereinafter described.

g and h represent the color-glasses, removably connected to the frame-arms and fitting within the rim of the same between the fingers 7 8 at one side and the offset ends of the pivotedplates 5 6 at the opposite side. These pivoted plates 5 6 are preferably and advantageously held in position as against accidental displacement, the result of vibration, by a projection stamped up in the plate snap- .ping into a recess in the frame-arm holding the pivoted plate in the full line position shown in the drawings, especially Fig. 4.

I provide depending arms 2' 7c in pairs in each casing, their inner upper ends connected by the pivot-pins 11 12 to the ends of the frame-arms between their hubs and their curved ends 3 4:. The lower ends of these arms is are to be grasped by the hand, so as to swing the said frame-arms, with their colorglasses, so as to bring them either between the light and the lens or above the same out of the way. I have shown the arm 2' as formed at its lower end with a circular hook i, into which can be passed the finger of an attendant or workman to operate the color -glass frame, and I have also shown the lower end of the arm 76 as bent out at at a right angle to the main portion, also to be grasped by the hand in operating the color-glass frame, said devices being alternate and equivalent constructions for performing the same function. In these casings c 0', built on the sides of the lantern-body and for the purpose of retaining the frame-arms in either an operative or inoperative position, I employ springs Z m, one of which is shown alone in Fig. 6. Each of these springs is formed with two bent portions that are similar. In Fig. 6 I have shown the two curved portions 9 10, which are adapted to fit the curved ends 3 4 of the frame-arm. These springs Zm may be placed loosely in the casing or secured in the casing, and they may be placed in the position shown in Fig. 4 or in the reverse or inverted position, their function being twofoldfirst, to hold the said frame-arms and color-glasses in their respective positions when in use and out of use, and, second, to overcome the effect of vibration upon said spring-arms, holding them steadily in position. I do not limit myself to the particular form of these springs nor to the form of the parts of said springs which bear upon the ends of the frame-arms.

In the modification shown in Figs. 7 and 8 and in place of the arms t' 70 I have shown a link a, connected by a pivot 13 to the plate 0 and at its other end connected to a crank n upon a short shaft 0, journaled in the casing, and on the outer end of which shaft outside of the casing is a handle 0, by means of which the short shaft and the crank are turned to swing the frame-arm and color-glass on its shaft cl, performing as an equivalent and alternate device the same function hereinbefore described with reference to the other structure. In this connection it may be observed that these frame-arms and color-glasses may be shifted from a position of use to a position out of use almost instantly from the outside of'the lantern and without opening the lantern or disturbing the position occupied by the same in use.

I claim as my invention 1. In a signal-lantern, the combination with the body and lens-glass, of a casing built on the side of the body and open to the interior thereof, a frame-arm pivoted in said casing and carrying a color-glass, an arm pivotally connected to the frame arm and passing through an aperture of the casing to the outside thereof and adapted to be grasped by hand for swinging the frame-arm, and a spring within the casing coacting with the said framearm for engaging and retaining the same both in its operative and inoperative positions.

2. In a signal-lantern, the combination with the body and lens-glass, of a casing built on the side of the body and open to the interior thereof, a frame-arm pivoted in said casing and carrying a color-glass, a depending arm pivotally connected to said frame-arm and passing through an aperture in the casing to the outside thereof to be grasped by hand for swinging the frame-arm and a spring within the casing coacting with said frame-arm for engaging and retaining the same both in its operative and inoperative positions.

3. In a signal-lantern, the combination with the body and lens-glass, of a frame-arm pivotally mounted in said lantern and at one end carrying a color-glass and at the other end having a curved or irregular configuration, a spring, one member of which is formed with a curved or irregular configuration agreeing with the end of the frame-arm and adapted to engage the same for retaining said frame-arm either in its operative or inoperative position.

4. In a signal-lantern, the combination with the body and lens-glass of a casing built on the side of the body and open to theinterior thereof, a frame-arm pivoted in said casing carrying the color-glass at one end and rounded on the opposite end, and a spring within the casing having on one member two adjacent curved portions, one at a time of which bears against the rounded end of said frame-arm to maintain the same in either its operative or its inoperative position.

5. In a signal-lantern, the combination with the body and lens-glass, of a casing built on the side of the body and open to the interior thereof, a frame-arm pivoted in said casing carrying a color-glass at one end and rounded on the opposite end, and a spring Within the easing having on one member two adjacent curved portions, one at a time of which bears against the rounded end of said frame-arm to maintain the same in either its operative or its inoperative position, and a gravity-arm pivoted to the rounded end of the frame-arm and passing through an aperture in the casing to the outside thereof to be grasped by hand for swinging theframe-arm and changing the position thereof.

6. In a signal-lantern, the combination With the body and lens-glass, of a casing built on the side of the body and open to the interior thereof, a frame-arm pivoted in said casing carrying a color-glass at one end and rounded on the opposite end, and a spring Within the casing having on one member two adjacent curved portions, one at a time of which bears against the rounded end of said frame-arm to maintain the same in either its operative or its inoperative position, and an arm outslde the casing having a part extending Within to a I5 connection with the frame-arm to be grasped by hand for swinging the frame arm and changing the position thereof. Signed by me this 17th day of December, 

